Jodi Arias Found Guilty of First-Degree Murder and Could Face Death Penalty

Accused murderer Jodi Arias has been found guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday by jurors at Maricopa County Superior Court in Arizona after deliberating for 15 hours. She could face life in prison or potentially the death penalty.

Arias, 32, was convicted for the 2008 murder of Travis Victor Alexander. Arias was Alexander's ex-girlfriend when he was stabbed and shot to death in his Arizona home. Although Arias had admitted to killing Alexander, she claimed it was in self-defense.

Arias teared up when the "guilty" verdict was read. A single tear rolled down her cheek as each juror confirmed the ruling.

Earlier Wednesday, Arias' attorney Kirk Nurmi said in his closing argument: "What this evidence shows is that either what happened is that Jodi Arias defended herself and didn't know when to stop, or she gave in to a sudden heat of passion. Ultimately, if Miss Arias is guilty of any crime at all, it is the crime of manslaughter and nothing more."

The trial began on Jan. 2 and has been extensively in the media, including airing parts of the trial on live TV. Arias took the stand in her own defense for 18 days.

The next stage of the process will start Thursday and will determine how much malice went into the act, which will determine the severity or leniency of Arias' sentence. Sentencing will likely come down in the next 30-60 days.